The final Road to UFC 4 finale on Saturday’s UFC 325 saw lightweights Sangwook Kim and Dom Mar Fan battling for a spot in the UFC.
What would have been four tournament finals was reduced to three, however, when flyweight Aaron Tau missed weight for his Road to UFC 4 fight.
Kim had the fight in his wheelhouse early, getting it to the fence and getting back control about 90 seconds in. He’d take the back, and they’d go to the ground, but didn’t stay there. Coming back up, it was Mar Fan getting in an elbow, while Kim defended a takedown with a headlock. They’d reverse, then reverse again.
Round two saw Kim able to work in the clinch, finding some success there. Back at range, things were a little more even, with Mar Fan finding a home for his jab. Kim was able to land his as well, and he’d eventually duck under a punch and land a takedown off a single-leg. What looked like a promising moment for Kim, however, instead saw Mar Fan reverse the position. They’d scramble to the cage, with Mar Fan getting a three-quarter position on Kim, who was sitting with his back against the fence. Kim had been bloodied, and appeared to be tiring.
Mar Fan worked outside in the third, the pair trading strikes on the feet. More than once, Mar Fan allowed himself to be backed up to the fence; Kim, about two minutes in, began landing shots to the body, mixing in the odd strike upstairs. He couldn’t overwhelm Mar Fan, however, and eventually they worked their way back to center. A low blow on Kim then doubled the South Korean over, and he slumped down by the fence while recovering.
When they did get going again, there was plenty of back-and-forth action. The lightweight Road to UFC 4 final went the distance, with Dom Mar Fan taking the unanimous decision in the end.
Official Result: Dom Mar Fan def. Sangwook Kim by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
